Home to the Long Island Woman Suffrage Association, Antonia Petrash, Editor

If you loved the original 1964 Mary Poppins movie with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke you will probably enjoy the new one, Mary Poppins Returns, in theaters now. It is a continuation of the story of the now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, with new songs, and fresh new faces, while echoes of the original are cleverly woven through. One of those is the kite that the children and their father flew in the park, with Mrs. Bank’s suffrage sash as the tail, for that kite, now tattered and torn, still plays a pivotal role.

Mrs. Bank’s suffrage activities may seem to trivialize the goals of the movement in the first movie, but she did call attention to the history of the British cause, and who says the fight could not use a bit of lighthearted humor, if for no other reason than to bring the history of the suffrage movement to the attention of children? If you enjoyed her musical crusade, click on the link for another look, and do give the new movie a try – I found it delightful.